Two possible flight paths for MH370

Intelligence analysis of satellite data received from the missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 now suggests two possible flight paths for the aircraft. US aviation experts say that the plane could have headed into a northwest direction over the Gulf of Bengal OR – for whatever reason – have taken a southeastern course towards waters off Western Australia.

A path from Malaysia to the ocean off Australia would have taken as much as 3,000 miles, about the maximum distance the Boeing Co. 777-200 could have flown with its fuel load.

Flight 370 may have flown beyond its last known position about 1,000 miles west of Perth, and that location may not be an indication of where the plane ended up, intelligence sources say.

Investigators have also found that someone in the cockpit of the Boeing Co. 777-200 programmed it to turn away from its intended path to Beijing after turning off a device identifying the jet to radar, according to another person in the US government familiar with the probe.

That adds to the increasing evidence pointing to a deliberate diversion by an experienced pilot. The Malaysian Airline System Bhd. jet vanished a week ago with 239 passengers and crew members on board while flying to Beijing from Kuala Lumpur.

The plane’s last known position was fixed by analysing pings from a transmitter that sent signals to a satellite about once an hour for 4 to 5 hours after its transponder beacon went dead and the plane changed course.

Intelligence analysis of satellite data received from the missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 now suggests two possible flight paths for the aircraft. US aviation experts say that the plane could have headed into a northwest direction over the Gulf of Bengal OR – for whatever reason – have taken a southeastern course towards waters off Western Australia.

A path from Malaysia to the ocean off Australia would have taken as much as 3,000 miles, about the maximum distance the Boeing Co. 777-200 could have flown with its fuel load.

Flight 370 may have flown beyond its last known position about 1,000 miles west of Perth, and that location may not be an indication of where the plane ended up, intelligence sources say.

Investigators have also found that someone in the cockpit of the Boeing Co. 777-200 programmed it to turn away from its intended path to Beijing after turning off a device identifying the jet to radar, according to another person in the US government familiar with the probe.

That adds to the increasing evidence pointing to a deliberate diversion by an experienced pilot. The Malaysian Airline System Bhd. jet vanished a week ago with 239 passengers and crew members on board while flying to Beijing from Kuala Lumpur.

The plane’s last known position was fixed by analysing pings from a transmitter that sent signals to a satellite about once an hour for 4 to 5 hours after its transponder beacon went dead and the plane changed course.